Professor Elam

Cutting Back

Thursday Feb 28 2013

 

I'm cutting back and you should too... I'm going to bite the bullet, too!!!! President Obama ordered the cabinet to cut $100,000,000.00 ($100  million) from the $3,500,000,000,000.00 ($3.5 trillion) federal budget. I'm so impressed by this sacrifice that I have decided to do the same thing with my personal budget. I spend about $2,000 a month on  groceries, household expenses, medicine, utilities, etc., but it's time  to get out the budget cutting axe, go through my expenses, and cut back. I'm going to cut my spending at exactly the same ra tio (1/35,000) of my  total budget. After doing the math, it looks like instead of spending  $2,000 a month, I'm going to have to cut that number by six cents. Yes,  I'm going to have to get by with $1999.94, but that's what sacrifice is  all about. I'll just have to do without some things, that are, frankly, luxuries –  six cents worth. Did this President actually think no one would do the math? Please send                                   this to everyone on your list so people understand how idiotic a $100  million cut is in a $3.5 trillion budget – ludicrous!!!!!!! "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation... One is by sword... The other is by debt." John Adams 1826FYI.....

The Apple Cash Hoard

Wednesday Feb 21 2013

Apple has $137 B cash on its balance sheet.

Prepare to sound off in ACCT 3311 class this on this topic.

Do nothing

Declare a one time dividend

Buy Back Stock

Split the stock

Offer to buy Dell for $15  just for spite.....just kidding on this one....

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Wed Feb 27 2013

Children Are Quick
TEACHER: Why are you late?
STUDENT: Class started before I got here.
____________________________________
TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?' GLENN:
K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
(I Love this child)
____________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't
have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry
tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father
didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.....
______________________________________
TEACHER: Now, Simon , tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________
TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as
your brother's... Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

___________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when
people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

What they're doing at Big Time Universities

Monday Feburayr 25 2013

No coubt many of you think you are missing out on 'the big time' at a major league university. Well you tube to the rescue, as you watch these Purdue Students solve a problem from Coke, the real thing you know, on how to share a coke.

Enjoy!

Now, who as Rube Goldgerg and what does this have to do with the example?

Public Speaking

Weekend Feb 23 2013

One story about the famous Senator Daniel Webster follows. 

Senator Webster had delivered a stirring speech on the Missouri Compromise of 1850. One listener in the Gallery hurried to the Senate floor after the speech. He exclaimed to Webster, 'that was the best speech I ever heard, how long did you prepare?'  Without a moment's hesitation Webster replied

'All my life sir, all my life.'

Whatever it is that you are doing, Mike Phelps in the swim pool, the Hurley Sisters on the Olympic Fencing Team, or Valdimir Horowitz at the keyboard, the trick is continuous practice until it becomes routine. Public Speaking is no different. I started when I was in High School As  I mentioned in class, mvoing from an also ran high school to the cream of the crop my senior year taught me what it took to win a debate tournament, which I did on my first entry that fall, what a difference. 

You goodle how to deliver an effective speech but here are some thoughts. 

I recently  heard several students deliver short talks on their chosen topics. I found that if I had not known the topic myself, I would have had a hard time following the narrative. So first thinkg

Tell em what you are going to tell em, Tell em, Tell em what you told them.

The idea is to repeat the main message three times so that repetition makes your message clear. 

Never assume.

Yes you have researched your topic, I hope, and know what you mean. Do not assume they audience has even the vaguest Idea of what you are describing.  So, 

KISS  Keep it simple silly

Short sentences triumph over long sentences. Say what you mean, avoid flowery language. 

Eye contact is imperative, never read your speech. 

Power point slides should be limited to three or four short phrases. If the audience can read your speech off the power point, you could have e mailed it to them, what are you up there for anyway?

Your rehearsal should be so comprehensive that you can proceed without looking at a note or power point. Eye contact with your audience is imperative, that is the only way you can judge the effectiveness of your presentation. If you see rolling eyes, watches being examined, cell phones being scanned, you are losing the audience. Change course, do something. 

Know Your Audience

Remember Dale Carnegie's advice (How to Win Friends and Influence People) 

You will make more friends in two months taking an interest in Other People 

than you will in two years trying to get them interested in you. 

Your opening line then should champion the cause of your audience. If you are speaking to teachers, lead off with a story about your favorite teacher. If you are talking to mechanics, lead off with a story about how you trust your car mechanic to get you wehre you are going, it's the mechanic not the car you see!

Business Casual

I recently attended another event where students were told to dress in business casual. What a failure to communicate. Some of them looked more like Homeless Shelter Casual.  Mark Zuckerburg is filthy stinking rich, if he wants to wear a hoody I guess he can but I would avoid that at school at all times quite frankly. You never know who might come to class and speak. You do not want to look like you are wearing the hand me down wardrobe from your older sibling.  

Richard Jenkins is organizing a Toastmasters Club for Brooks City Base Campus. Check it out, this is a great organization. 

The High Performance / Personal Survival Mindset

Weekend February 23 2013

 Jeff Cooper's remarks about the combat mindset can be a good metaphor for a successful student  mind set. Read on to grasp the analogy. 

Jeff Cooper wrote for Guns and Ammo and served in the Marines in WW II and Korea. He described what he called the Combat Mindset. I am including it here fearful that you will not read the hyperlink.

• White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."

• Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself". You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to shoot today". You don't have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, "I might have to shoot."

• Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot that person today", focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that person does "X", I will need to stop them". Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.

• Red: Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. "If 'X' happens I will shoot that person".

He wrote this for Marines or Police Departments or possibly someone in an athletic competition. it is not a stretch to see it right here on campus. A young woman is talking on her cell phone, strolling across the parking lot, oblivious to her surroundings. How often do we see this? Thisis an invitation to personal danger.

 

Most students are in Condition White. They are oblivious to their surroundings. Oh sure they sign up, pay the tuition, and come to class, but that’s about it. It was clear to me the last two days that many have not read an Intro to Futures and Options. In class you should at least operate in condition yellow. During tests you should be in condition orange . You should be preparing yourself for various certified exams. Passing certified exams (leading to a professional designation) will require a full blown nothing less will do, Condition Red.

Students who do poorly on exams are operating in what the Marines refer to as Condition Black. 

Condition Black: Catastrophic breakdown of mental and physical performance. Usually over 175 heartbeats per minute, increased heart rate becomes counter productive. May have stopped thinking correctly. This can happen when going from Condition White or Yellow immediately to Condition Red.

Regarding personal safety, several incidents in Texas this past week prompted me to post Mr. Cooper's color code. Many of our students are parents of kids that will soon become teenagers. This is a dangerous age as teens rarely to never consider their own mortality. 

Three Teens Die not Buckling Up.

This is acondition white event. Recall that Princess Di was riding in the back seat not wearing a seat belt in a speeding auto, just like the first two teens.

A 50 year old elementary music teachers killed by her boy friend.  Surely the boyfriend was giving some clues things were not right, did she notice?

Chris Kyle murdered on is own shooting range.  Chris authored American Sniper, and is credited with over 150 kills while serving in the middle east. But even  trained to this degree, chris was taken unaware by  someone he knew, just like the music teacher. 

A shooter in a San Antonio Theater was stopped.  The off duty officer was clearly in condition red. 

We live in dangerous times.  Operating in the  the appropriate color code could save your life or your test scores. 

The Layered Battery

Weekend Feb 23 2013

The problem with batties of course is that they are forever having to be re charged. 

Now a new process  promises a layered capacitor that can quickly re charge devices. Will this be a game changer?  The short video explains all. 

Wal Mart Earnings

thursday Feb 21 2013

WMT  reported earnings this week. We study e/s in ACCT 3312. this article is a good example of why that calculation is important. What factors have impacted WMT earnings this past month?  Would you have expected that?

The answer is that the return to the normal payroll tax rate on Social Security pinched the pockets of enough WMT shoppers that they bought less. This is a good example of how Washington DC Central Planning usually backfires. Supposedly the Administration is helping poor people with its  various schemes, well not htis month, just as WMT. 

Office Depot to buy Office Max

Thursday Feb 21 2013

Office Depot  let their merger slip in an announcement. We simply have an over abundance of office supply stores with these two plus Staples. When I moved to San Marcos in 1999 all three were there in a town of 

35,000 people. 

In these deals you never want to be an employee of the acquired firm. The only way I can see that this will improve the fortunes of Office Depot is to close the office Max stores. I wonder if the employees of OM realize that. 

SA CPA Scholarship Application Available

Wed February 20 2013

I have applications for the San Antonio CPA Society Scholarship available. One must be a student member of SA CPA. The other requirements are enumerated in the flier. I will bring some to class and have them in my office.